Many of us landed in the world of micro and independent horology because we wanted to scratch the itch of owning a good watch without paying Swiss luxury prices for it. For many years micros and indies focused on affordable watches which heavily borrowed from iconic models from a design perspective, as many of us couldn’t afford or didn’t see the point of spending more than the equivalent of a week-long resort vacation on a timekeeping device even though we loved the way it looked. Whether it be a Rolex Submariner or GMT Master II, an Omega Speedmaster or Seamaster, a Zenith El Primero or Tag HEUER Carrera, we wanted to own one of those because of what they represent and their history, but had to refrain ourselves from pulling the trigger for fear of financial and emotional ruin. So micro/independent brands saw an opportunity to help us scratch the itch by making watches which were more affordable but whose character and mechanical soul resembled that of the horological celebrities. 

The above is true regardless of what many brand owners would care to admit. Just look at the “About Us” sections of your favorite brands and it would most likely read something like I couldn’t find the type of watch I liked at a price I could afford so I created my own brand. But things have changed a lot in the past ten years as the continuously increasing number of micro/indie brands has forced all of them to come up with more singular designs and a visual vocabulary of their own. Brands which started with straight up homages have now refined their own creative language and can, at last, offer more unique models. This is the case of Jack Mason which started as a fashion brand and pivoted into an enthusiast one when it released the Strat-o-timer in 2022. The collection was continued in several limited and special editions since, whilst its design hadn’t changed. But something rather different was brewing in the Jack Mason office as the brand was working on the Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT. 

Specifications 

Many of us also do not care to admit how badly we want to find the perfect one-watch collection even though it wouldn’t appear so looking at our many watch boxes overflowing with micro/indie timepieces. And perhaps our homes are being overtaken by too many watches and their pesky boxes because we had yet to find that one watch which we’ve been after for such a long time. The affordable or attainable version of the Rolex Submariner or Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, a watch we know we can wear in any and all situations, just like James Bond only had one watch for all of his fictional situations, and just like we mere mortals could only sport one timekeeping device whether we’re working, BBQing, mowing the lawn, or changing diapers. There is something so romantic about owning just one watch as there is to meeting our soulmate or driving our dream car. What this perfect watch comes down to is different for each and every one of us, but perhaps the Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT is that one watch you’ve been looking for. 

Maybe you will define the perfect watch from a technical standpoint as boasting the following specs: a flyer-style regulated Miyota 9075 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) which features a jumping local hour hand and runs at ± 5 seconds per day; a screw-down crown and case-back for 200 meters of water resistance; radioactive BGW9 lume on the hands, applied hour markers, and all bezel markings; a bi-directional 120-click brushed ceramic bezel for extra scratch-resistance; a Grade 2 titanium case and bracelet for everyday comfort; a built-in tool-less micro-adjustment clasp with nine positions of adjustments to ensure the everyday wearing comfort; a raised scratch-resistance sapphire crystal; a finely knurled 6.8mm crown for easy time-setting; and a bracelet which further comes with quick-release spring-bars, screwed links, and a 20/16mm taper. And why not an extra black FKM rubber strap for the days you need something a little more rugged, all of which will set you back $1,399 USD. 

Design

The Jack Mason Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT is, functionally, what many of us have been looking for as well: a diver and a GMT combined into an elegant looking sports watch. If you do dive, then you’ll be able to time your latest 45-minute underwater exploration; if you do travel, then you’ll be able to track the time where you’re not (home;) and whether or not you do either of those things you’ll be able to time any event and see what time it is on the other side of the world where you best friend or least favorite relative lives. Even though many people claim that we don’t need a dive bezel or GMT complication, some of us do prefer to use these to keep track of things. It is more of a preference than a necessity and that’s fine. Moreover, the Strat-o-timer comes with a small date window at the six completing a pretty exhaustive list of functionalities which to many of us make this model the perfect one-watch collection as it does many things we like to get done with a wristworn timekeeping device. 

More importantly, it is the way Jack Mason laid out the dial and designed the case which makes this model so compelling. Overall, it looks like a semi-utilitarian everyday sports watch with a bold character and a strong wrist presence. The dial is large, the applied markers are large, and the bezel is large, which combined with a rounded bespoke case endow the Strat-o-timer with a je-ne-sais-quoi of horological coolness. The hour markers command most of the dial’s visual presence: they are wider than the hands, brushed on top with a polished facet facing inward, pill-shaped central grooves for the lume and their outer edges cut straight in order to fit thick painted dashes next to them on the minute track. The hour markers face a rectangular hour hand which showcases polished sides and brushed upper sections, but are passed over by a longer and similarly finished minute hand which lines up with the minute track. In-between the hour markers the odd numerals for the GMT scale are printed  large enough to be easy to read. 

Whenever we see a GMT hand on the dial of a watch it gives an extra umph of character to said watch, and that’s what the small GMT hand of the Strat-o-timer does: its painted orange in a glossy finish and partially skeletonized and lumed. It fits perfectly within the central portion of the dial and is well proportioned in relation to the hour markers and other hands. Oftentimes brands simply add a GMT hand to a diver in order to change its nature which looks odd, where here Jack Mason seamlessly integrated the GMT functionality within the overall design of the dial whilst making the GMT hand and scale easy to read. There are therefore a lot of things to look at on the dial but everything is easy to read and has its own place. This can further be understood by looking at the date aperture: it is circular and framed by a polished ring, nestled above the minute track and in-between the GMT scale, and luckily composed of black printed numerals on a white disc so that we can actually read it. 

Looking at the dial of the Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT we find a sports watch full of character, of bold character, which is surrounded by a bezel, case, and bracelet which too aren’t deprived of personality. The case for example is made of fully brushed grade 2 titanium, measures 40mm in diameter, 47mm lug-to-lug, 13.2mm thick and comes with a 20mm lug width. It is a bespoke design from Jack Mason which resembles a tonneau case with more defined flanks and stubbier lugs, which sits flat and with a strong presence on the wrist. Conversely, the bezel outer section is made of a polished serrated knurling which is extremely effective to make the bezel easy to grab and operate, but a circular brushed ceramic insert. The former element is visually offset by the latter element just like the large applied hour markers on the dial are offset by the smaller hands. Jack Mason therefore has developed a particular talent for balance and creating contrasts between shapes and design elements of various sizes and nature. 

The Heart of the Matter

Can the Jack Mason Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT be the ubiquitous one-watch collection timepiece for you? Perhaps it can. After all, it perfectly combines an incredibly long list of very good specifications with a unique design language to create a versatile sports watch full of character which is similar, in spirit, to the iconic models mentioned in the introduction. Whether or not leading anyone to making this conclusion was the brand’s intent, it is a compliment as it is neither easy nor common for any brand to create a watch that can be so many things in one neat package and which can not only scratch the itch for the equivalent from the luxury market but also go beyond that. Spending $1,399 USD on this model is a sound decision to make insofar you enjoy the way it looks and that it comes with the functionality which you deem important, whether or not the latter is actually something you need because well, let’s be honest with ourselves, shall we? 

And you would want to get this watch on this simple and final fact alone: clocking in at 112g sized to my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist, it wears incredibly well. It is fascinating to think that in 2025 we can get a 200m diver with a true GMT complication in such a lightweight package, which in itself does show that the Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT does indeed go well beyond scratching an itch. There is a place for this type of watch in today’s horological world, whether we’re indeed looking for the one watch to conquer them all or one which fits a particular spot in our watch box. 

Conclusion 

Well there is some more good news for you today: the Jack Mason Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT comes in two versions, Anthracite and Cobalt, and is readily available for purchase on the brand’s website. That’s good news because, as you probably know, it is rare for a good watch like this one to be available right now, as more often than not, we must turn our nerdy impatience into virtue and wait for the delivery several months after having placed the order. Although $1,399 USD isn’t affordable per se for many watch enthusiasts, it does make the Strat-o-timer an affordable watch when looking at how it is made, what it is made out of, and how much character it is endowed with. Though we should and could spend much less on yet another tool watch to place in our watch box, spending the asking $1,399 USD for a potential one-watch collection does make sense to me, as it does spending that much for a good rounder everyday sports watch. Just look at the market, you will understand. 

Thanks for reading.